Luyện viết tiếng anh : WRITING SKILLS SUCCESS IN 20 MINUTES A DAY

WRITING
SKILLS
SUCCESS
IN 20 MINUTES
A DAY



WRITING
SKILLS
SUCCESS
IN 20 MINUTES
A DAY
3rd Edition

®

NEW

YORK


Copyright © 2005 LearningExpress, LLC.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by LearningExpress, LLC, New York.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Writing skills success in 20 minutes a day—3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p.).
ISBN 1-57685-495-7 (pbk.)
1. English language—Grammar—Problems, exercises, etc. 2. English

language—Composition and exercises. I. Title: Writing skills success in twenty minutes a
day. II. Title: Writing skills. III. Title.
PE1112.O45 2005
808'.042—dc22
2005044127
Printed in the United States of America
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Third Edition
ISBN 1-57685-495-7
For information on LearningExpress, other LearningExpress products, or bulk sales, please write to us at:
LearningExpress
55 Broadway
8th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Or visit us at:
www.learnatest.com


Contents

INTRODUCTION

vii

PRETEST

1

LESSON 1

Capitalization
General rules, specific rules regarding proper nouns and adjectives

13

LESSON 2

Periods, Question Marks, and Exclamation Points
Ending a sentence, alternate uses for periods

21

LESSON 3

Avoiding Faulty Sentences
Sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices

27

LESSON 4

Commas and Sentence Parts
Relating commas to clauses and phrases

37

LESSON 5

Commas That Separate
Independent clauses, items in a series, items in a date or address,

two or more adjectives preceding a noun, contrasting elements and words

45

LESSON 6

Semicolons and Colons
Introductions, subordinate relationships, common confusions
with punctuation

53

LESSON 7

Apostrophes and Dashes
Using apostrophes to show possession or omission; dashes to emphasize

61

LESSON 8

Quotation Marks
Dialogue, direct quotations, other punctuation, double and
single quotation marks

69

v

– CONTENTS –

LESSON 9

“Designer” Punctuation
Hyphens, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, diagonal slashes

75

LESSON 10

Verb Tense
Present, past, future tenses; switching tenses; subjunctive mood

81

LESSON 11

Using Verbs to Create Strong Writing
Capturing a reader’s interest; using active voice

89

LESSON 12

Subject-Verb Agreement
Matching subject and number, special singular subjects,
singular and plural pronouns, compound subjects

97

LESSON 13

Using Pronouns
Antecedents, the cases of pronouns, ambiguous pronoun references,
reflexive pronouns

105

LESSON 14

Problem Verbs and Pronouns
lie/lay, sit/set, rise/raise, its/it’s, your/you’re, whose/who’s,
and other problem pairs

111

LESSON 15

Modifiers
Adjectives, adverbs, phrases acting as modifiers

119

LESSON 16

Easily Confused Word Pairs
Confusing words that sound similar

127

LESSON 17

More Easily Confused Words
Small but tricky words that are often used and misused; killer a’s and al’s

133

LESSON 18

Diction
Wordiness, the passive voice, redundancy, precise language,
abstract vs. concrete, clichés, jargon

139

LESSON 19

More Diction
Colloquialism, loaded language, consistent point of view,
parallelism, gender-neutral language

147

LESSON 20

Communicating Your Ideas
A piece of writing as a whole, developing ideas effectively,
focusing on the purpose of writing

157

POSTTEST

163

APPENDIX A

How to Prepare for a Test
Making a study plan; strategies for success on the exam

175

APPENDIX B

Additional Resources

181

vi


Introduction

S

ince you bought this book, you probably want or need to learn more about the process of writing
and how to become a better writer. This book will help you acquire the coveted power of the pen
in 20 easy steps. It covers the basics of writing: punctuation, usage, diction, and organization. You’ll
find no fluff in this book; it’s for busy people who want to learn as much as they can as efficiently as possible. Each

lesson contains enough illustrations for you to get the idea, opportunities to practice the skills, and suggestions
for using them in your daily life.
Many people fear a blank sheet of paper or an empty computer screen. “I just don’t know what to write. Even
when I know what I want to say, I’m afraid it will come out looking wrong or sounding stupid.”
But that’s one of the things to love about writing. Writing is a process. The first time you write a draft, it doesn’t
matter if your writing comes out wrong or sounds stupid to you because you can change it as often as you want.
You can go over it until you’re completely satisfied or until you need to shift gears. You can show your draft to your
friends or family and get a response before you ever make it public.
Don’t put pressure on yourself by thinking you’re going to write a perfect first draft. No one can sit down and
write polished memos, reports, or letters without changing (or revising) them at least slightly. Even professionals
have to revise their work. For instance, writer Ernest Hemingway had to revise the last page of his famous novel A
Farewell to Arms 39 times before he was satisfied. You probably won’t want to revise anything that many times before
the final copy, but even if you write two or three drafts, you certainly aren’t alone in your need for revision.

vii


– INTRODUCTION –

them hidden inside their heads. Many great ideas and
observations are never born because their creators
won’t express them. This book can help you express
your ideas in clear, grammatically correct ways. After
you learn how to insert commas and semicolons correctly, use verbs to create strong images in your writing,
and the other basic skills taught in this book, you’ll gain
confidence in your writing ability. In fact, you’ll be
able to move forward and master more complex writing concerns after you get the basics down. More and
more jobs these days require at least some writing, so
the skills you learn in this book will be put to good use.
The lessons in this book are designed to be completed in about 20 minutes each. If you do a lesson

every weekday, you can finish the whole course in about
a month. However, you may find another approach
that works better for you. You’ll find you make more
progress, though, if you complete at least two lessons
a week. If you leave too much time between lessons,
you’ll forget what you’ve learned. You may want to
start with the pretest that begins on page 1. It will show
you what you already know and what you need to learn
about grammar, mechanics, and punctuation. Then,
when you’ve finished the book, you can take a posttest
to see how much you’ve improved.
If you practice what you’ve learned in this book,
it won’t take long for other people to notice the new and
improved you. So dive into the first lesson and get ready
to improve your writing skills. Good luck!

Writing has three distinct advantages over
speaking:
1. In writing, you can take it back. The spoken
word, however, cannot be revised. Once you
make a statement verbally, it affects your listeners
in a particular way and you can’t “take it back” or
rephrase it to the point that the first statement is
forgotten. However, if you write a statement and,
after looking at it, realize that it sounds offensive
or incorrect, you can revise it before giving it to
the intended audience. Writing is a careful,
thoughtful way of communicating.
2. Writing forces you to clarify your thoughts. If
you’re having trouble writing, it’s often because

you’re not yet finished with the thinking part.
Sometimes, just sitting down and writing whatever is on your mind helps you discover and
organize what you think.
3. Another advantage is permanence. Ideas presented in writing carry far more weight than spoken ideas. Additionally, they can be reviewed and
referred to in their exact, original form. Spoken
ideas rely upon the sometimes inaccurate memories of other people.
Writing is nothing more than thought on paper—
considered, organized thought. Many people are protective of their thoughts and, therefore, prefer to keep

viii


Pretest

B

efore you start your study of grammar and writing skills, you may want to get an idea of how much
you already know and how much you need to learn. If that’s the case, take the pretest that follows.
The pretest consists of 50 multiple-choice questions covering all the lessons in this book.
Naturally, 50 questions can’t cover every single concept or rule you will learn by working through these pages. So
even if you answer all of the questions on the pretest correctly, it’s almost guaranteed that you will find a few ideas
or rules in this book that you didn’t already know. On the other hand, if you get a lot of the answers wrong on
this pretest, don’t despair. This book will show you how to improve your grammar and writing, step by step.
So use this pretest for a general idea of how much of what’s in this book you already know. If you get a high
score, you may be able to spend less time with this book than you originally planned. If you get a low score, you
may find that you will need more than 20 minutes a day to get through each chapter and learn all the grammar
and mechanics concepts you need.
There’s an answer sheet you can use for filling in the correct answers on page 3. Or, if you prefer, simply circle the answer numbers in this book. If the book doesn’t belong to you, write the numbers 1–50 on a piece of paper
and record your answers there. Take as much time as you need to complete this short test. When you finish, check
your answers against the answer key that follows. Each answer tells you which lesson of this book teaches you about

the grammatical rule in that question.

1



– LEARNINGEXPRESS ANSWER SHEET –

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.

a
a
a
a

a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b

b

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

d
d
d
d
d
d
d

18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.

a
a
a
a

a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b

b

3

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

a
a
a

a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
a

b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b

c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
c

d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d
d

d
d
d
d



– PRETEST –

4. Which version uses periods correctly?
a. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 P.M.
b. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs at 3:00 PM.
c. Dr Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill, on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M.
d. Dr. Harrison will speak at a hotel in Chicago,
Ill., on Thurs. at 3:00 P.M.

Pretest
1. Which version of the sentence is correctly
capitalized?
a. Last Tuesday, my Mother, my Aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian sculpture.
b. Last Tuesday, my mother, my Aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian sculpture.
c. Last Tuesday, my mother, my aunt Nancy, and
I went to the Museum to see an exhibit of

Egyptian sculpture.
d. Last Tuesday, my mother, my aunt Nancy, and
I went to the museum to see an exhibit of
Egyptian Sculpture.

5. Which version uses punctuation correctly?
a. Be careful. The stairs are slippery?
b. Be careful! The stairs are slippery.
c. Be careful? The stairs are slippery!
d. Be careful, the stairs are slippery?
6. Which of the following is a sentence fragment,
that is, NOT a complete sentence?
a. Hearing the thunder, the lifeguard ordered us
out of the water.
b. Turn off the lights.
c. Sunday afternoon spent reading and playing
computer games.
d. I was surprised to see that my neighbor had
written a letter to the editor.

2. Which of the underlined words in the following
sentence should be capitalized?
The governor gave a speech at the fourth of July
picnic, which was held at my cousin’s farm five
miles east of town.
a. governor
b. fourth
c. cousin’s
d. east

7. Three of the following sentences are either runons or comma splices. Which one is NOT a faulty
sentence?
a. The newspapers are supposed to be delivered
by 7:00, but I am usually finished before 6:45.
b. I called the delivery service this morning, they
told me the shipment would arrive on time.
c. Look in the closet you should find it there.
d. I was the first to sign the petition Harry was
second.

3. Which of the underlined words in the following
sentence should be capitalized?
“Last semester, I wrote my history report on the
Korean war,” my sister told me.
a. semester
b. history
c. war
d. sister

5


– PRETEST –

11. Which of the underlined portions of the sentence
below is punctuated incorrectly?

8. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Charlotte, who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year will compete in this year’s New York

Marathon.
b. Charlotte who ran in the Boston Marathon,
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
c. Charlotte who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.
d. Charlotte, who ran in the Boston Marathon
last year, will compete in this year’s New York
Marathon.

My mother was born on (a) December 15,
1944, in Kingwood, West (b) Virginia, when
she was (c) five, her family moved to (d) 347
Benton Street, Zanesville, Ohio.
a. December 15, 1944,
b. Virginia, when
c. five, her
d. 347 Benton Street, Zanesville, Ohio.
12. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Yes I would like to receive the credit card
application and please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.
b. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card
application and please send it, as soon as you
can to my home address.
c. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card
application and, please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.
d. Yes, I would like to receive the credit card

application, and please send it as soon as you
can to my home address.

9. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. The park service will not allow anyone, who
does not have a camping permit, to use this
campground.
b. The park service will not allow anyone who
does not have a camping permit to use this
campground.
c. The park service will not allow anyone, who
does not have a camping permit to use this
campground.
d. The park service will not allow anyone who
does not have a camping permit, to use this
campground.

13. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. I’m sorry, Bart, that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
b. I’m sorry, Bart that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
c. I’m sorry Bart that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight. We’ll phone you again next
Friday.
d. I’m sorry, Bart, that you cannot meet us for
dinner tonight, we’ll phone you again next
Friday.

10. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. As soon as she finished her dinner, Lisa, who
is a volunteer at the hospital, reported for
her shift.
b. As soon as she finished her dinner Lisa, who
is a volunteer at the hospital reported for
her shift.
c. As soon as she finished, her dinner, Lisa who
is a volunteer at the hospital, reported for
her shift.
d. As soon as she finished her dinner, Lisa who
is a volunteer at the hospital reported for
her shift.

6


– PRETEST –

17. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. You will find boys’ shirts in the childrens’
department.
b. You will find boy’s shirts in the children’s
department.
c. You will find boys’ shirts in the children’s
department.
d. You will find boy’s shirts in the childrens’
department.

14. Which is the correct punctuation for the underlined portion?
The weather forecasters are predicting ten
inches of snow tonight therefore the annual
chili supper will be rescheduled for next week.
a. tonight, therefore
b. tonight, therefore,
c. tonight; therefore,
d. tonight, therefore;

18. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. Whose coat is this? Is it yours or Eric’s?
b. Whose coat is this? Is it your’s or Eric’s?
c. Who’s coat is this? Is it your’s or Eric’s?
d. Who’s coat is this? Is it yours or Eric’s?

15. Which is the correct punctuation for the underlined portion?
You may choose to read any two of the following novels The Great Gatsby, Song of Solomon,
Sophie’s Choice, The Color Purple, The Bell Jar,
and The Invisible Man.

19. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. “May I ride with you?” asked Del. “I can’t get
my car started.”
b. May I ride with you? asked Del. “I can’t get my
car started.”
c. “May I ride with you? asked Del. I can’t get my
car started.”
d. “May I ride with you”? asked Del, “I can’t get
my car started.”

a. novels, The
b. novels: The
c. novels; the
d. novels. The
16. Which version is punctuated correctly?
a. One of my complaints—if you really want to
know is that the recycling bins are not clearly
labeled.
b. One of my complaints—if you really want to
know—is that the recycling bins are not
clearly labeled.
c. One of my complaints, if you really want to
know—is that the recycling bins are not
clearly labeled.
d. One of my complaints if you really want to
know is that the recycling bins are not clearly
labeled.

20. Which of the following should be placed in quotation marks and should NOT be italicized or
underlined?
a. the name of a ship
b. the title of a poem
c. the title of a novel
d. the name of a newspaper
21. Which version uses hyphens correctly?
a. The well-known singer-songwriter gave a
three hour concert.
b. The well known singer songwriter gave a
three-hour concert.
c. The well-known singer-songwriter gave a

three-hour concert.
d. The well known singer-songwriter gave a three
hour concert.
7


– PRETEST –

26. Which of the following underlined verbs is NOT
written in the correct tense?

22. Which of the following should NOT be
hyphenated?
a. twenty-one students
b. two-inch nails
c. a thirty-minute interview
d. ten-feet of rope

Last year, I (a) vacationed in Jamaica. I (b) sunbathe on the beach every morning. In the afternoons, I (c) explored the island, and when
evening came, I (d) couldn’t wait to change my
clothes and try another local restaurant.

23. Which version uses parentheses correctly?
a. I plan to do my geography report on the Central American country of Belize
(formerly known as British Honduras).
b. I plan to do my geography report on the (Central American country of) Belize,
formerly known as British Honduras.
c. I plan to do my (geography) report on the
Central American country of Belize,
formerly known as British Honduras.

d. I plan to do my geography report on the Central American country (of Belize)
formerly known as British Honduras.

a. vacationed
b. sunbathe
c. explored
d. couldn’t wait
27. Choose the version that correctly rewrites the
following sentence in the active voice.
I was taken to the public library by my sister
before I was able to read.
a. Before I was able to read, I was taken to the
public library by my sister.
b. Before learning to read, my sister took me to
the public library.
c. Before I was able to read, my sister took me to
the public library.
d. I was taken to the public library before I knew
how to read, by my sister.

For questions 24 and 25, choose the correct verb form.
24. Last night, Rita
for her performance.
a. has gotten
b. gotten
c. will get
d. got

a standing ovation

28. Which of the following sentences is in the passive
voice?
a. On Saturday nights, we made popcorn.
b. Our bowls were filled and brought into the living room.
c. We sat on the floor and watched the movie we
had rented.
d. One of us usually fell asleep before the movie
was over.

25. Brandon
his camera so he could
photograph the basketball game.
a. brang
b. brought
c. bring
d. had brung

8


– PRETEST –

33. In which of the following sentences is the underlined pronoun incorrect?
a. Alicia and me want to spend Saturday at Six
Flags Amusement Park.
b. Either Sam or William will bring his CD
player to the party.
c. She and I will work together on the project.
d. Why won’t you let her come with us?

For questions 29 and 30, choose the verb that agrees
with the subject of the sentence.
29. Neither of the boys
camp.
a. have been
b. were
c. is been
d. has been

to basketball

34. In which of the following sentences is the underlined pronoun incorrect?
a. Francine can run much faster than me.
b. Erin and Bob are painting the house
themselves.
c. Five members of the team and I will represent
our school.
d. Our neighbors gave us some tomatoes from
their garden.

30. The music teacher, along with several of her students,
to attend the concert on
Sunday evening.
a. is planning
b. are planning
c. plan
d. have planned
31. Choose the subject that agrees with the verb in
the following sentence.

For questions 35–38, choose the option that correctly
completes the sentence.

of the customers have complained
about poor service.

35. Four band members and
were chosen to attend the state competition. One of
will do the driving.
a. me, we
b. me, us
c. I, we
d. I, us

a. One
b. Neither
c. Each
d. Some
32. In which of the following sentences is the underlined verb NOT in agreement with the subject of
the sentence?
a. Where are the forms you want me to fill out?
b. Which is the correct form?
c. Here is the forms you need to complete.
d. There are two people who still need to complete the form.

36. Marcus
the bags of groceries on the
kitchen table fifteen minutes ago.
a. had sat
b. set

c. sit
d. sat

9


– PRETEST –

37. About five minutes after the sun
my alarm goes off, and
get up.
a. raises, it’s
b. raises, its
c. rises, it’s
d. rises, its
38. Paula did
had the
a. good, better
b. good, best
c. well, better
d. well, best

41. Yesterday, I

,
time to

the campers to the
we had chosen near the river.

a. lead, cite
b. lead, site
c. led, cite
d. led, site
42. As we have done in the
, we will
at the coffeehouse at 10:00 A.M.
a. past, meet
b. past, meat
c. passed, meet
d. passed, meat

on the test, but Georgia
score in the class.

43. As you can

see, there has been a
in the water pipe.
a. planely, brake
b. planely, break
c. plainly, brake
d. plainly, break

39. Which of the sentences is clearly and correctly
written?
a. Driving along the country road, a deer ran in
front of us.
b. A deer ran in front of us while driving along
the country road.

c. As we were driving along the country road, a
deer ran in front of us.
d. Running in front of us, we saw the deer, driving along the country road.

44. Do you know

Teresa will
to join our organization?
a. weather, choose
b. weather, chose
c. whether, choose
d. whether, chose

For questions 40–46, choose the option that correctly
completes the sentence.
45.
40. If we divide this pizza
people here, there won’t be
left over.
a. among, any
b. among, no
c. between, any
d. between, no

the five
pieces

are the magazines that
to be stacked on this table?
a. Wear, used

b. Wear, use
c. Where, used
d. Where, use

46. Do you

if Serena Williams
the tournament?

a. know, one
b. know, won
c. no, one
d. no, won

10


– PRETEST –

49. Which version has a consistent point of view?
a. The history of English is divided into three
periods. You could mark the earliest one at
about the fifth century A.D.
b. You can say that the history of English could
be divided into three periods, and I know the
earliest one begins about the fifth century A.D.
c. The history of English is divided into three
periods. The earliest one begins at about the
fifth century A.D.
d. I learned that the history of English is divided

into three periods and that you begin the earliest one at about the fifth century A.D.

47. Which of the following phrases contains a
redundancy? (It repeats words that express the
same idea.)
a. I did not go to the shopping mall.
b. She always does very well in school.
c. The judges have temporarily delayed the competition until later.
d. Liz and Lauren have both contributed greatly
to the fundraising campaign.
48. Which of the following sentences contains a
cliché?
a. The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin
drop.
b. Your plan is not in accordance with the regulations set down by the review board.
c. The stars were pinpricks in the tarpaper sky.
d. Due to the fact that it snowed, the trip was
canceled.

50. Which version has a parallel structure?
a. We write for a variety of purposes: in expressing our feelings, to convey information, to
persuade, or to give pleasure.
b. We write for a variety of purposes: to express
our feelings, convey information, persuasion,
or giving pleasure.
c. We write for a variety of purposes: an expression of our feelings, conveying information,
persuade, or to give pleasure.
d. We write for a variety of purposes: to express
our feelings, to convey information, to persuade, or to give pleasure.

11


– PRETEST –

Answer Key
If you miss any of the answers, you can find help for that kind of question in the lesson shown to the right
of the answer.
1. b.
2. b.
3. c.
4. d.
5. b.
6. c.
7. a.
8. d.
9. b.
10. a.
11. b.
12. d.
13. a.
14. c.
15. b.
16. b.
17. c.
18. a.
19. a.
20. b.
21. c.
22. d.

23. a.
24. d.
25. b.

26. b.
27. c.
28. b.
29. d.
30. a.
31. d.
32. c.
33. a.
34. a.
35. d.
36. b.
37. c.
38. d.
39. c.
40. a.
41. d.
42. a.
43. d.
44. c.
45. c.
46. b.
47. c.
48. a.
49. c.
50. d.

Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 4
Lesson 4
Lessons 5, 6
Lesson 5
Lesson 5
Lesson 6
Lesson 6
Lesson 7
Lesson 7
Lesson 7
Lesson 8
Lesson 8
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 9
Lesson 10
Lesson 10

12

Lesson 10
Lesson 11

Lesson 11
Lesson 12
Lesson 12
Lesson 12
Lesson 12
Lesson 13
Lesson 13
Lesson 13
Lesson 14
Lesson 14
Lesson 14
Lesson 15
Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Lesson 16
Lesson 16
Lesson 17
Lesson 17
Lesson 17
Lesson 18
Lesson 18
Lesson 19
Lesson 19


L E S S O N

1

Capitalization

LESSON SUMMARY
Today, you’ll learn about the fine points of capitalization. This chapter
divides capitalization rules into two kinds: general rules governing capitalization and specific rules regarding proper nouns and adjectives.

S

tart by seeing just how much you already know about the proper use of capital letters. On the next
page, you see the same passage written twice. The first column, called Problem, contains no capitalization at all—definitely a problem in writing! Circle those letters you think should be capitalized in the Problem column, and then check yourself against the Solution column.

13


– CAPITALIZATION –

Problem

Solution

when I first saw the black hills on january 2, 1995, i was
shocked by their beauty. we had just spent new year’s
day in sioux falls, south dakota, and had headed west
toward our home in denver, colorado. as we traveled
along interstate 90, i could see the black hills rising
slightly in the distance. after driving through the badlands and stopping at wall drug in wall, south dakota,
the evergreen-covered hills broke the barren monotony of the landscape. my oldest daughter said, “dad,
look! there’s something that’s not all white.” we saw
mount rushmore and custer state park, the home of
the largest herd of buffalo in north america. we also
drove the treacherous spearfish canyon road. fortunately, our jeep cherokee had no trouble with the ice
and snow on the winding road. we were unable to see

needles national park because the needles highway
was snowed shut. winter may not be the best time
to see these sights, but we enjoyed them nonetheless.

When I first saw the Black Hills on January 2, 1995, I
was shocked by their beauty. We had just spent New
Year’s Day in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and had
headed west toward our home in Denver, Colorado. As
we traveled along Interstate 90, I could see the Black
Hills rising slightly in the distance. After driving through
the Badlands and stopping at Wall Drug in Wall, South
Dakota, the evergreen-covered hills broke the barren
monotony of the landscape. My oldest daughter said,
“Dad, look! There’s something that’s not all white.” We
saw Mount Rushmore and Custer State Park, the
home of the largest herd of buffalo in North America.
We also drove the treacherous Spearfish Canyon
Road. Fortunately, our Jeep Cherokee had no trouble
with the ice and snow on the winding road. We were
unable to see Needles National Park because the
Needles Highway was snowed shut. Winter may not
be the best time to see these sights, but we enjoyed
them nonetheless.

How did you do? As you progress through the lesson, try to identify the specific rules that you missed.

14


– CAPITALIZATION –

General Capitalization Rules
This table summarizes general capitalization rules. Rules relating to specific categories of proper nouns are
addressed in the next section.
CAPITALIZATION RULES
RULE

EXAMPLE

Capitalize the first word of a sentence. If the

This is the first word of the sentence.

first word is a number, write it as a word.

Three of us worked the early shift.

Capitalize the pronoun I or the contraction

The group left when I asked them to go.

I’m, and the abbreviations B . C . or A . D .

The manuscript was dated 501 A . D .

Capitalize the first word of a quotation.

I said, “What’s the name of your dog?”

Do not capitalize the first word of a

He called me “the worst excuse for a student”

partial quotation.

he had ever seen.

Here is an example of a dialogue that illustrates
these rules. (A note about paragraphing in dialogue:
Each time a speaker finishes, begin a new paragraph.)

Practice

Check your ability to apply these rules in the following
practice questions. Choose the correctly capitalized
option from each of the sets below. Answers to each set
of questions can be found at the end of the lesson.

“Good afternoon,” said the personal trainer as I
walked into the gym.
“Good afternoon!” I replied, excited to get started.
“You must be Ms. Milner. I’m Jennifer Burnett.
It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Tell me about your current workout routine,
Jennifer. I’m eager to put together a brand-new
exercise program for you.”
I smiled and said, “It’s so nice to be working with
you. I heard you were a ‘true fitness guru’.”

1. a. the movie terrified me at first. after a few minutes, i began to calm down.

b. The movie terrified me at first. after a few
minutes, I began to calm down.
c. The movie terrified me at first. After a few
minutes, I began to calm down.
2. a. “what are you doing?” my supervisor asked.
“trying to finish the memo I’ve been writing,”
i replied.
b. “What are you doing?” my supervisor asked.
“Trying to finish the memo I’ve been writing,”
I replied.
c. “What are you doing?” My supervisor asked.
“Trying to finish the memo I’ve been writing,”
I replied.

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– CAPITALIZATION –

Proper Nouns and Proper
Adjectives

3. a. we saw pottery made in 1550 a.d.
b. We saw pottery made in 1550 a.d.
c. We saw pottery made in 1550 a.d.

All proper nouns and proper adjectives—ones that
name a specific person, place, or thing—must be capitalized, but remembering which nouns and adjectives
are proper can be difficult. The tables that follow lay out
the most common categories of proper nouns and

adjectives. Each section begins with a table that illustrates 5–7 related rules, followed by several practice
exercises.

4. a. After the game is over, I want to watch the
interviews with the players.
b. after the game is over, I want to watch the
interviews with the players.
c. After the game is over, i want to watch the
interviews with the players.

PROPER NOUNS, PART ONE
CATEGORY OF PROPER NOUNS

EXAMPLES

days of the week

Friday, Saturday

months

January, February

holidays

Christmas, Halloween

historical events, periods, documents

Civil War (historical event), Dark Ages (historical

period), Declaration of Independence (document)

special events, calendar events

Pebble Beach Fall Classic, Renaissance Festival,
Green River Days (special events); Labor Day,
Father’s Day (calendar events)

names of people and places

John Doe, Lincoln Center, Sears Tower

7. a. We studied the declaration of independence in
History class.
b. We studied the Declaration of Independence
in history class.

Practice

Using these rules, choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the following pairs.
5. a. Chaucer was one of the foremost poets from
the Middle ages.
b. Chaucer was one of the foremost poets from
the Middle Ages.

8. a. Judy has two Uncles who fought in world
war II.
b. Judy has two uncles who fought in World
War II.

6. a. The Martins will begin their summer with a
weeklong Memorial Day celebration at a beautiful lakeside hotel.
b. The Martins will begin their summer with a
weeklong Memorial day celebration at a beautiful Lakeside hotel.
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– CAPITALIZATION –

PROPER NOUNS, PART TWO
CATEGORY OF PROPER NOUNS

EXAMPLES

names of structures and buildings

Washington Memorial, Empire State Building

names of trains, ships, aircraft, and other

Queen Elizabeth, Discovery, Sioux Lines,

modes of transportation

TransWorld Airlines

names of products

Corn King hams, Dodge Intrepid

names of officials

Mayor Daley, President Clinton

works of art and literature

Black Elk Speaks (book), “Mending Wall” (poem),
Mona Lisa (painting)

ethnic groups, races, languages, nationalities

Asian American, Caucasian, French, Indian

12. a. Paul has an editing job with Meredith
Publishing.
b. Paul has an Editing job with Meredith
Publishing.

Practice

Choose the correctly capitalized version of each of the
following pairs.
9. a. My book group selected the known world by
Edward P. Jones.
b. My book group selected The Known World by
Edward P. Jones.

13. a. The University of Michigan has an excellent
Business School.
b. The university of Michigan has an excellent

business school.

10. a. We caught a Vanguard Airlines flight to
Orlando.
b. We caught a Vanguard airlines flight to
Orlando.

14. a. Dr. Gallagher researched her book at the
Library of Congress.
b. Dr. Gallagher researched her book at the
Library of congress.

11. a. The Talmud is a guide to the teachings of
judaism.
b. The Talmud is a guide to the teachings of
Judaism.

17